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Abstract

This thesis examines whether the United States played a significant role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is focused around three factors which presumably may have played a role in the demise of the USSR. The first factor concerns the unintended consequences of the Helsinki accords. The Helsinki accords were signed in 1975 by thirty-five countries, including the Soviet Union and the United States. The final basket of the agreement, which would become known as the Final Act, called for the signatory countries to improve and respect basic human rights principles. When the USSR did not adhere to these principles, it led to a continuous pressure from the U.S. to improve human rights conditions. I examine whether this pressure had any effect on the Soviet leadership’s choice of policies, especially in regard to separatism in the republics. The second factor concerns the announcement of Ronald Reagan to develop the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a space-based shield able to intercept incoming missiles. This thesis examines whether the Soviet leadership began to increase their nuclear capacity as a response to SDI, further undermining their economy leading to its collapse. The third, and final factor focuses on the Soviet defense burden, and whether the arms race with the United States during the Cold War played a role in the Soviet collapse by severely straining the Soviet economy. The method used to approach these factors have been to consult memoirs, autobiographies and diaries of central Soviet politicians and people working in the military-industrial complex to provide a Soviet point-of-view of the relevant questions I have asked. Additionally, I have made use of available online archive material. By consulting these types of sources, I have been able to get an insight into how the Soviet leadership approached these issues at top-level meetings with the United States. Upon examining these sources, it has become clear that the United States’ role in the collapse of the Soviet Union was at most minimal. I have argued that the Soviet economy collapsed from its own intrinsic causes, and that SDI did not lead to increases in Soviet military spending. I have further argued that the minimal role the U.S. played in the Soviet collapse can be seen through its role of pushing forward liberal reforms in the USSR by constantly reminding the Soviet leadership of the principles they agreed to in Helsinki in 1975.